Kejriwal unhappy with Yamuna project progress, seeks fresh plan from DJB

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of the city government’s project to clean the Yamuna and directed officials of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to prepare a revised project plan with specific goals and deadlines by next week

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of the city government’s project to clean the Yamuna and directed officials of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to prepare a revised project plan with specific goals and deadlines by next week.

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“Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal directed the officials to ensure that no untreated wastewater flows into the river. The DJB officials presented a detailed plan to clean four major drains (which flow into the Yamuna) and the CM expressed concerns and unhappiness over the delay in timelines of each sewage treatment plant (STP) project. He instructed the officials to have a detailed plan ready by next week, and every project will be scrutinised as per the revised time frames,” said a statement issued by the chief minister’s office (CMO).

Cleaning the Yamuna has been a promise in the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) manifesto for the 2015 assembly polls as well as the 2020 assembly polls. The party won both elections by a huge majority. Last month, on completion of the AAP government’s first year of the second term, Kejriwal said the Delhi government has plans to clean the Yamuna within three years.

After Thursday’s review meeting, Kejriwal said, “The Clean Yamuna project is one of the most ambitious projects of the Delhi government. We must ensure that there is no laxity at any phase of the project. We should work towards expediting the Yamuna cleaning process, and every sub-project should be completed within the stipulated time frame.”

The statement issued by his office further said, “The DJB officials apprised the CM that various low-cost technological interventions are being done to expedite the work before scheduled deadlines… CM Kejriwal also reviewed the flagship project of septic tank cleaning in unauthorised colonies of Delhi. The project is expected to be completed within the next few months.”

“Of the four drains, the work on interception of two major drains -- supplementary drain and Shahdara drain -- is almost complete. The untreated water from the supplementary drain will be completely tapped and treated by December 2021. The untreated water from the Shahdara drain will be completely tapped in the next few months. The remaining two major drains -- Najafgarh and Barapulla -- will be completed within the stipulated time frame,” the CMO statement said.